1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and system for alleviating a fatigue of an occupant sitting in a seat, and particularly to method and system for alleviating a fatigue which develops in the lumbar part of the occupant, by means of pressing, supporting and heating effects.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, an ordinary powered lumbar support device is designed to adjustably displace the lumbar support plate in a direction towards and away from the lumbar part of a passenger sitting on a seat for the purpose of alleviating his or her lumbar fatigue.
But, in this sort of device, the lumbar support plate is kept in a fixed position once being so adjusted, with the result that a passenger, whose lumbar part is supported at that position for long period of time, gets used to the fixed supporting force and does not feel the initial pressing support touch, and will inevitably feel uncomfortable with this unchangeable lumbar supporting state.
As a solution to this problem, known is a reciprocating type of lumbar support device, such as for example the one disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,079, wherein the lumbar support plate is reciprocated in the direction towards and away from the passenger's lumbar part so as to repeat pressing and non-pressing actions, alternately, thereagainst. With this repeated pressing effect, it is possible to avoid the passenger's insensible tendency to the lumbar supporting force and give a massage effect to the passenger's lumbar part.
Also, known is a lumbar part heating device which heats the lumbar part of a passenger and improves the blood circulation there to alleviate his or her corresponding part, as can be seen from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,379 for instance.
Certainly, one can contemplate combining together both of the above-stated lumbar support and heating devices, but, a mere combination of them in a seat will make more complicated the adjusting and switching operations, or even a short-minded reduction of the operations will adversely lose the common advantages of both lumbar support and lumbar heating. Thus, there has not been proposed any effective method and system in this respect.